NEWS
EVENTS
Pitchfork Paris Music Festival - The best way to spend the Halloween!
Indie | Wednesday 5th November 2014 | Ben
If somebody told me several months ago that I would be spending this Halloween in a former slaughterhouse called ‘The Great Hall Of Cattle’ in the former abattoir district of Paris, I would become hysterical, lock myself in the bathroom and never leave.
However, upon seeing the line-up of the Parisian incarnation of Pitchfork Music Festival, I would gladly go through any horrors imaginable just to get to the festival. With the likes of James Blake, Jungle, Belle and Sebastian, and many more performing, this festival promised a lot.
And boy did it deliver.
The venue itself wasn’t big, just two stages, and that is by no means a bad thing. It went a long way to creating a much more intense and intimate feel to the proceedings. The stages were at opposite ends of the venue with the acts alternating between each one meaning you didn’t have to make the painful decision of missing some acts just to see another.
The festival kicked off with a gentle post punk indie bang by Canadian quartet Ought. Tim Beeler’s captivating voice and languid movements drew quite a crowd which was impressive considering the festival only opened five minutes earlier.
The War On Drugs drew the biggest crowd of the night and they didn’t disappoint. The atmospheric nostalgic sounds of ‘Red Eyes’ and ‘An Ocean Between The Waves’ mixed in with some insane guitar riffs proved for a fantastic performance.
James Blake saw the night off with his trademark combination of soft and earth-shattering sounds. His music was perfectly suited to the acoustics of the hall and when he played ‘Limit To Your Love’ the haunting vibrations just went through each and every person in the crowd.
On Halloween night the festival didn’t descend into a horror show but reminders of what night it was bled throughout the acts. Future Islands brought props, which even included fake blood. Danish singer MØ sweated off her skeletal make up with an energetic performance and CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry looked spooky amidst some funky lighting patterns.
The night ended with the headlining act, Belle And Sebastian, who were also the highlight of an already incredible night. Even though their music is not the most danceable they just know how to get a crowd going. Stuart Murdoch’s smooth charismatic stage persona combined with quite frankly awesome dance moves quickly whipped the already excited people into even more of a fervour. Even people who said they didn’t usually like this sort of music couldn’t help but get drawn in by the energy and fun feel of the band’s live performances. Murdoch even let a few lucky people have their Dancing In The Dark moment. It’s a testament to just how much people love Belle And Sebastian that their fans wouldn’t leave after they finished their set and were shouting ‘One more tune’. The plea was answered with an encore song and even after that obvious finish a lot of the fans stuck around, just to drink in what they just saw.
The festival was seen off by a very funky Saturday night. tUnE-yArDs set the pace with a fun performance and then the eagerly anticipated Jungle, one of 2013’s best breakthrough bands, blew the roof off before sets from Caribou and Jamie xx finished off what was a truly amazing festival!
Jusqu'à l'année prochaine Pitchfork Paris!
